Dallas Winston
Dallas "Dally" Winston is the most dangerous and hardened member of the greaser gang, a figure whose life of crime and profound bitterness sets him apart from his friends. Having spent three years on the wild side of New York and been arrested at the age of ten, Dally embodies a level of delinquency that blurs the line between a greaser and a hoodlum. His past has forged him into someone tougher, colder, and meaner than the rest, a person who seems incapable of caring for anything or anyone, yet whose fierce, protective loyalty to Johnny Cade ultimately reveals the tragic depth of his character.
Identity and Background
Dally is described as having an elfish face with high cheekbones, a pointed chin, small sharp animal teeth, and ears like a lynx. His hair is almost white-blond, and he dislikes haircuts and hair oil, letting it fall in wisps over his forehead and kick out in tufts behind his ears. His eyes are blue, described as "blazing ice, cold with a hatred of the whole world." This hatred stems from a childhood spent on the streets of New York, where he was arrested at the age of ten. He has a reputation that includes a file at the police station, and his exploits include getting drunk, riding in rodeos, lying, cheating, stealing, rolling drunks, and jumping small kids. He is as wild as the boys in downtown outfits like Tim Shepard's gang, and his past has left him with a savage defiance of the world. The fight for self-preservation has hardened him beyond caring, making him a figure who can take anything because he is hard and tough, and when he isn't, he can turn hard and tough.
Life and Plot Trajectory
Dally's actions drive much of the plot's tension. He is present when the Socs attack Ponyboy, and he later helps Johnny and Ponyboy escape after Johnny kills Bob Sheldon, providing them with a gun, fifty dollars, and instructions to hide in an abandoned church on Jay Mountain. He also deliberately misleads the police by letting it slip that the boys are heading for Texas. After the church fire, Dally rushes into the burning building to save Johnny, suffering a badly burned arm. He later escapes from the hospital to participate in the rumble, using Two-Bit's switchblade to talk a nurse into letting him leave. Following the rumble, he drives Ponyboy to the hospital to see Johnny, but is unable to cope with Johnny's death. In his grief, he robs a grocery store and, when cornered by police, raises an unloaded gun, knowing the officers will shoot him. He is killed in a hail of bullets, dying with a look of grim triumph on his face.
Key Actions and Objectives
Dally's primary objective is survival, but his actions are often driven by a need for excitement and a defiance of authority. He hates to do things the legal way and goes around trying to break laws. He slashes the tires of Tim Shepard's car, leading to a fight. At the drive-in, he harasses Cherry Valance and Marcia with dirty talk, only to be stopped by Johnny. Despite his tough exterior, he shows a capacity for loyalty and sacrifice. He gives Johnny and Ponyboy the means to escape, risks his own freedom to help them, and enters a burning church to save Johnny. His final act, a suicide by cop, is a deliberate choice to end his life after losing the only person he loved.
Relationships and Conflict
Dally's relationships are marked by conflict and a deep, unspoken loyalty. He is a member of the greaser gang, but he is not liked by Ponyboy, who finds him too real and scary. He has a reputation for being dangerous, and even Darry doesn't want to tangle with him. His most significant relationship is with Johnny Cade, whom he treats as a pet and a kid brother. Johnny hero-worships Dally, seeing him as gallant, and Dally, in turn, is the only person Johnny can truly rely on. Dally's relationship with Tim Shepard is one of mutual respect and rivalry; they are buddies despite having fought each other. He also has a brief, tense connection with Cherry Valance, who admits she could fall in love with him but hopes she never sees him again. His conflict with the Socs is total and bitter, as he sees them as the only enemy he has left to hate.
Change and Ending
Dally undergoes a profound, if brief, change in the novel's final chapters. His hard exterior cracks when he pleads with Johnny not to turn himself in, revealing a vulnerability he has never shown before. He admits he doesn't want Johnny to get hardened in jail like he did. After Johnny's death, Dally completely breaks down, slamming his fist against the wall and begging Johnny not to die. This loss is the only thing that can break him, and it leads directly to his own death. He robs a store and then, in a final act of defiance and despair, forces the police to kill him. He dies violent and young and desperate, just as everyone knew he would, but his death is a direct result of his inability to live without Johnny.
Narrative Role and Evaluation
Dally serves as a dark mirror to the other greasers, representing the path of total delinquency and emotional numbness that Ponyboy fears. He is a flat character in the sense that he is built around a single, powerful idea: the hardened criminal who has been so damaged by life that he can no longer feel. Yet, his capacity for love and sacrifice for Johnny makes him a round character capable of surprising the reader. His death underscores the novel's central themes of the loss of innocence and the tragic consequences of social inequality. He is a figure of both pity and terror, a boy who never had a chance and who ultimately chooses death because he has nothing left to live for. His story is a cautionary tale about what happens when a person is stripped of all hope and love.
